Comments on: UFO Catcher: A Guide To Winning

By: freedomwv

freedomwv — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:29:30 +0000

My gal is hooked real bad on these things. She wins more than any other person I have ever seen. She says the advice from the video is very good.

By: November Hacks from the Past roundup | nihonhacks.com

November Hacks from the Past roundup | nihonhacks.com — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:09:46 +0000

[...] How to win at UFO Catcher – Learn how to win stuffed animals at UFO Catcher. Actually, this is just a link to a great tofugu article. Check it out from the original source. [...]

By: Nekopan

Nekopan — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:30:52 +0000

Genius!

Most American ones I’ve seen generally have these high plastic shields around the drop hole so that this can’t happen if it’s not completely full, though.

And UFO catchers in Japan are more expensive because the toys are better :)

By: Tips and Tricks for Survival in Japan « LongCountdown.com

Tips and Tricks for Survival in Japan « LongCountdown.com — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:34:18 +0000

[...] NihonHacks is the work of Thomas Hjelm, a former exchange student and current JET teacher in Hyogo. Thomas has written articles about using JR Odekake NET for planning trips by train, saving money on cleaning products by buying refills, how to find cheese in Japan, how not to waste rice, how to make miso soup quickly, finding cheap steaks and even winning on a UFO Catcher. [...]

By: thomas

thomas — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:16:23 +0000

@Jonneh: Tofugu is a cool site, and their logo is hilarious.

@Tori: This hack of course assumes that you play UFO Catcher to begin with :). Other people prefer to spend their 100 yen coins elsewhere, like on chocolate-covered almonds.

By: Tori

Tori — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:41:48 +0000

That was hilarious!!

I love his tips on conversing with the machine-refiller in limited Japanese and his advice for little children to stay away from the stuff-animal-winning oyaji ;)

My problem: The last time I checked those UFO games were at least 100 yen a go!
My hack: work the gaijin magic so that the refiller gives you one for free.

Tofugu, you’ve got yourself an interview.

By: Jonneh

Jonneh — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:18:43 +0000

haha yeah after I finished typing your comment I clicked the link and read the full article last night before going to bed – great stuff! :)

By: thomas

thomas — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:10:17 +0000

@Jonneh: If you read the full article over at tofugu.com (it’s linked twice in the article), they talk about the difference between the American 4-prong and the Japanese 2-prong.

By: Jonneh

Jonneh — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 03:31:42 +0000

lmao I love those things because for some odd reason I win them a lot. Of course, when my gf’s around, somehow I always lose…. >_>

I have never tried this method before, though! Problem is, that Japanese Catcher’s tongs to grab things with were a lot different than the american ones I see everywhere. The japanese one looked like it only had two tongs, looked plastic too. Looks a bunch easier to do this guy’s method and “push” the prizes closer to the exit for you. But, who knows, maybe it’s simple with the metal-like, 4-or-so tongs as well!

I’ll be sure to give this a try sometime!